I have a 2014 Camber Evo which is great – I upgraded it (pikes, reverb) and by all accounts it is pretty great. It’s a bit on the hefty side since I added the extra stuff, at 14kg.
I sort of fancy a hardtail, for muddy days, local rides (Ashton Court etc near Bristol – my bike makes that even more boring). And because I want to know more about repairing/maintaining bikes, so surely building one is a good way to do that?
My checklist for a putative new hardtail is:
[list]
[*]Better up the hills than my Camber[/*]
[*]Slacker than my Camber[/*]
[*]More fun on easy stuff than my Camber[/*]
[*]Still decent on technical stuff[/*]
[*]Easier to get in the air than my Camber (I am shit at jumping, but a bit less shit on other people’s smaller-wheeled bikes)[/*]
[/list]
I can spend about £2k – £3k (top whack) I reckon. Looking at the Stanton Slackline and the Bird Zero AM, although I would possibly prefer 120mm if the head angle wasn’t too steep.
Can I get what I want? Or have I painted myself into a one-bike corner by having a bike that is a bit too much an all-rounder?